Di'Shon Bernard makes Liam Palmer joke after big Sheffield Wednesday moment | OneFootball

The Jamaican centre-back reached the 50 appearances mark against Brentford in the EFL Cup

Di'Shon Bernard has taken to social media after making his 50th appearance for Sheffield Wednesday against Brentford in the EFL Cup.

Danny Rohl's side emerged with great credit for their performance against the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday night, as Djeidi Gassama's well-taken drive after 57 minutes initially cancelled out Kevin Schade's opener, which came after 11 minutes.

Unfortunately for the Owls, they were unable to progress to the quarter-final stage of the competition for the first time since the 2015/16 season, as Thomas Frank's side emerged 5-4 victors on penalties in West London, with Wednesday stalwart Liam Palmer missing the deciding spot-kick.

However, there were plenty of positives to take from the encounter for the German and his chargers, who can now make Championship action their sole focus between now and early January, when the FA Cup Third Round comes around.

Rohl initially made nine changes to his side, but the decision to bring Bernard into the fray on the hour mark in place of Dominic Iorfa saw the former Manchester United man reach the half-century appearance landmark for the Steel City outfit.

Di'Shon Bernard reacts after making 50 Sheffield Wednesday appearancesPost-match, the Jamaican defender was initially congratulated by the club on their official X profile, with a post reading : "50 #swfc appearances up for @DishonBernard!"

The former Hull City loanee was then made aware of this landmark, and responded with a message to the Hillsborough faithful, which included a jovial remark at the aforementioned Palmer, who has now made 449 appearances for his boyhood club since breaking into the first-team picture back in August 2010.

Bernard stated: "What an experience it’s been in these first 50 games, I’ve learned so much from each game and I’m constantly trying to improve."

"The love and support I’ve received from day one by the fans has been tremendous and I will always be grateful," he added.

Di'Shon Bernard has been an inspired signing for Sheffield Wednesday

Although there were not many highlights from Xisco Munoz's short-lived tenure at Hillsborough between June and October 2023, a number of the Spaniard's signings have gone from strength to strength under the guidance of Rohl, and Bernard definitely falls into that category alongside the likes of Gassama and Anthony Musaba.

Having already shown glimpses of his quality as a Championship-ready centre-back with Hull in the 2021/22 campaign, largely under Grant McCann, Bernard has stepped up to the mark once again and proved to be a real asset to this Wednesday side, especially during last season's great escape act.

As much as it was a gamble to acquire a player who had shown their capabilities but only in limited spells, with a similar theme panning out during a previous loan spell at Portsmouth, a 'low-risk, high reward' situation is exactly what has panned out after Bernard's initial free transfer last summer, before interest in his services was quashed in July after the signing of a fresh three-year contract.

Bernard made his debut for the Owls in a 2-1 defeat at Cardiff City on 26th August 2023, and has since gone on to score just once for the club, which came in their EFL Cup success over Blackpool in September.

His comical swipe at Palmer showcases the environment which the German head coach has fostered in S6, and whilst it seems unlikely that anyone within the current squad would emulate the right-back's longevity, Wednesdayites will be hoping Bernard remains part of the furniture for the coming years.